As The Crow Flies
by Jaeme
Summary: Elphaba is orphaned when bandit's destroy her home and family. Ten years later she's living in an old church, in the service of an unrighteous priest. As strange powers begin rise up around all of Oz, Elphaba's life begins to fall apart around her and she will be forced to rely on her new friends. But will her past come back to haunt her? Eventual Fiyeraba. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Wicked AU - As The Crow Flies**

**I'm back! With a very different style to what you may have seen me use before. Bare with me as the violence here won't continue into the next chapters. Enjoy!**

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_One for sorrow, two for mirth; three for death and four for birth._

Screams pierced the night. A pair of small green feet pounded over blackened grass as fires ravaged the lovingly painted caravans of the gypsy encampment.

Nearby women were crying as they watched their lives turn to cinders before their eyes. In the near distance gun shots still sounded, but they were further away than before.

A young Elphaba ran through the still blazing tents of the gypsy caravan, bare feet headless of the cinders hidden in the blackened grass. She couldn't find her mum.

The bandits had attacked when the caravan had been at it's most vulnerable; straight after the Final Night Celebrations. The Final Night Celebration happened once a month on the final night the gypsy caravan was staying in a town and corresponding to the night of a new moon, the nomads would throw a feast to honour the townsfolk and celebrate their nomadic lifestyles.

The feasting went on well into the night leaving the majority of the men were passed out drunk - as well as many of the women - and the children were long since asleep, bellies full of the sweets and cakes from the feast.

Elphaba had heard the whispers around camp of a group of bandits that has been traversing Oz, plundering and killing nomadic tribes, calling it 'pest control'. Her mother had insisted that nothing was wrong, but Elphaba had over head the other women whispering among themselves of the gypsy raids, and now it had happened to them.

The bandit's had struck swiftly, setting fire to tents and firing shots into the night to cause confusion. They had taken some of the women and gold before dissolving into the night once more. Even now there was the occasional gun shot from the forest as the gypsies pursued their attackers.

Hearing voices she recognised in the distance, Elphaba adjusted her course and ran towards them. She recognised one as being Gregario, the leader of their caravan.

Passing the shattered remains of a small puppet theatre Elphaba found herself in the camp Centre, a large open space where the gypsies gathered to eat and socialise with each other. Elphaba noticed many of them seemed to be sporting makeshift bandages of torn shirt sleeves around their various injuries. She stood to edge of the group and stood waiting to approach, shivering from cold and fear. Gregario and some of the other men and Animals had gathered to assess the damage and set about the recovery effort.

A usually cheerful fellow, Gregario was now sombre, his face creased with worry and red from a wound in his receding hairline.

"Greg! They seem to be gone for now!"

"Excellent!" He cried, feigning optimism, "Try and save as much as you can. Bug and Tun, you two round up the injured and children, and gather some adults and set them to finding survivors." The twin Tigers Gregario pointed out nodded, running off into the camp. "Jeph, Jai and Merge find some of the other men and arms yourselves, they might come back." The three nodded and followed Bug and Tun into the camp.

Gregario sighed, pulling a worn handkerchief from his multi-coloured vest pocket and wiping soot and sweat and red from his stained brow. He turned to pick up an empty bucket to fill from the nearby well when he spotted the young green girl shivering behind him.

"Elphaba!" he exclaimed, kneeling down to her level, "What are you doing, my girl? It's not safe!"

Elphaba just whimpered, "I can't find my mum."

Gregario's face creased with grief as he looked down at the little girl before him, "Oh, my dear…"

Gregario was pulled from his mourning as several shots rang through the night followed by terrified screams.

Far off Jeph's voice called out, "They're back!"

Greg turned in the direction of the disturbance before getting down before the small, green girl before him. All around them people began to scurry for shelter or a weapon to defend themselves with, some arming themselves with shovels and tools. An old Goat armed herself with a handy bucket.

"Fabala," Gregario said, urgently, "I need you to to hide in the forest for me, please."

When she didn't respond Gregario shook her gently, "You have to be brave for me, my girl."

Elphaba nodded mutely before scampering off into the blackened and burning tents once more.

Behind her Gregario pulled a revolver from the back of his trousers, preparing to protect his family to his last breath.

All around her her home burned. Canvas was consumed and carried into the sky by fire as Elphaba ran through the hodge-podge of wagons and lean-to's towards the forest. Elphaba knew that the bandits had attacked from the other side of camp, but the damage here was so extensive it made her wonder how much she had missed.

She remembered being woken by the noise and finding her mother gone from across the wagon. Lifting the canvas door she had seen many of the surrounding tents and carts on fire and several gypsies scurrying about in confusion. Leaping down she had immediately tried to find someone to help her, but the people and Animals she saw were too busy saving their own belongings to help her.

Lost in her thoughts Elphaba went to skirt the still simmering coals of a tent and tripped over something soft and wet on her toes.

Landing with a soft, "Oof," Elphaba rolled into a sitting position with a small frown to see what she had fallen over. Peering close, unable to see very well in the darkness Elphaba thought it was a roll of damp canvas until the flickering light from a nearby fire cast enough brightness her way for her to make out the mutilated face of a dead Goat.

Backing away in horror she did not notice the large man that had snuck up behind her until her back hit his legs.

Elphaba gave a yelp of fright when the huge man grabbed her arms roughly and hoisted her onto her feet, spinning her around, all the while chuckling and sneering at her fear. It was a bandit.

The bandit's snarling face leered over Elphaba as she cowered away, revolted by the stench of his overwhelming halitosis.

"What we got 'ere?" he slurred, "A littl' green witch?" He chuckled to himself and Elphaba whimpered in terror as the man placed his revolver against her temple.

"Hows about we see what colour your blood is, eh?"

_CRACK!_

The man snarl turned to confusion as red bloomed from his back. He coughed blood into Elphaba's face before toppling over.

"Elphaba!" It was Shell.

He lowered the smoking barrel of his shotgun and ran over to her hugging her tight, relief evident in his voice when he saw she was alright "What are you doing out here? You almost _died_!"

"Gregario told me to hide in the forest," she replied, tears of relief flowing from her eyes

Shell nodded, rubbing her back gently and holding her close, "But where's mum?"

"I don't know! I woke up and she was gone!" cried Elphaba, chocking through her tears, "I think she's still in the caravan somewhere!"

Fear filled Shell's eyes. Glancing around quickly he hugged Elphaba tight again before pulling away and grasping her small shoulders, "I'll try 'n find her, but you've got to go hide n' be safe."

Shell hurried his little sister over to the edge of the forest through some small shrubs. Kneeling down to eye-level he said, "Don't worry. I'll go get her n' meet you in the clearing we played in yesterday, alright?"

Elphaba nodded as tears spilt from her eyes, carving trails in the dirt and soot that had accumulated on her small cheeks.

"Alright." She whispered, wiping at her face with her tiny fist.

He nodded and walked back into the inferno. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a hand full of silver cylinders which he slid into the barrel of his gun. Turning back for a moment Shell noticed that Elphaba hadn't moved from the forest edge.

"I told you to g-!"

Without warning a loud _CRACK_ split the air and Shell crumpled to the dirt, motionless.

Elphaba just stood hidden in the brush, eyes wide with shock, the gun shot still ringing in her ears. Deep in the forest a crow screeched.

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**I'm back! With a very different style to what you may have seen me use before. Don't worry! The next chapter won't be nearly as depressing as this one was, though I can't promise an immediate pick up. I'm on holidays at the moment and this is how I've chosen to spend it so I'm in this for the long haul!**

**ALSO IN NEED OF A BETA, just someone to read it over for mistakes and possibly keep me on schedule :)**

**Don't forget to review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**As The Crow Flies 2**

**Quite a few of you were a bit shocked as to the violence in the first chapter so I went back and read it and realised that it's probably a side effect from reading Wuthering Heights… Oh well, as promised it won't be around for a while. Here's Chapter 2! It's a bit of a set up chapter so hang with me, it'll pick up soon.**

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Elphaba's eyes shot open only to close immediately against the glaring morning sun that was streaming through the ill-placed gap in the curtains across her lone window. There were no gun shots here, only the incessant banging of Frexspar's fist against the wood of the attic trapdoor.

"Get up you lazy girl!" He bellowed through the wood as he did every morning. Elphaba groaned into her pillow. It was just a dream. More a memory.

"Breakfast is not made and it's almost time for morning mass!"

Gritting her teeth to bite back a retort, Elphaba rose before going over to her window and drawing the curtains. From her attic room she could see over the trees surrounding the old church into the small town of Longstone. The bell tower of town hall stood high above the surrounding roof tops, and the clock on it read half-past five. Morning mass wouldn't begin until nine. Supposedly the reason Frexspar woke her so early was so she could join the righteous in their morning prayer, but Elphaba knew he did it simply to spite her.

"Are you up yet girl?"

"Yes, Father." Elphaba called, attempting to sound as chipper as possible. "Good. Now get down here and do your job!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes, pausing to take in the grey morning once more before turning back to her room to get ready for her duties.

Opening the small trunk at the foot of her bed, Elphaba retrieved the simple, full-length dress and hair covering that she was required to wear when seen by the public around the church grounds. The garments conveniently covered all but her hands and face, hiding the majority of her green from sight. The dress was scratchy and a size too small but at least it kept the chill of the early Autumn air at bay.

When she was dressed Elphaba climbed down the ladder from her attic room to the upper floor landing of the Churchman's Quarters. Heading downstairs to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, she had to pass by Frexspar's room where she could hear him droning his morning prayer-song, as he did everyday.

Arriving in the kitchen, Elphaba located her apron and set about making a simple porridge, adding a diced apple for flavour. After she had wolfed down her portion, she set the pot on the stove to simmer. Soon Biff, one of the two other inhabitants of the church, would be in to collect a bowl for himself and his uncle, while Frexspar would wander in when he felt the need and leave the pots and empty bowls for Elphaba to clean.

Biff was the nephew of an old bumbling caretaker, whom Elphaba knew only as Mr. Whistles. The two lived in the caretaker's shed in the corner of the gardens. Biff and his uncle looked after the gardens while Elphaba cooked the meals and cleaned indoors.

Nine years she'd been living in the church, and for nine years she had been lurking in the shadows, playing the part of the grateful orphan that had been taken iff and his uncle looked after the gardens while Elphaba cooked the meals and cleaned indoors.

Around half-past eight the old woman that played the organ during the services turned up to practice and warm her fingers. She had a face like crumpled parchment, watermarked and withered by the seasons, but she always smiled at Elphaba when she passed by while going about her morning duties. By ten minutes to nine, members of the congregation would file through the door and pass Frexspar on their way to their pews, each of them calling a merry, "Morning, Father!" as they passed.

When all were seated Frexspar would stand at his pulpit and begin his usual passionate plea for the people to repent and serve the Unnamed God.

During the service, Elphaba was blessedly excused to spend her morning preparing lunch for the church's few inhabitants and completing her chores, all of which were done swiftly so she could spend time reading whatever was at hand. Usually, Biff brought her new books from town when he ran errands for Frexspar, but he hadn't gone for a few weeks, so Elphaba had to re-read one of her favourites, _Ozian Sorcery: A History_. Frexspar disliked this particular book which was part of the reason Elphaba liked it so much. He was averse to such heathen topics as witchcraft, as they opposed his naturalistic world view.

Elphaba would have been content to sit in the gardens under her favourite tree reading for the remainder of the morning, but it was not to be. Mr. and Mrs. Humbton, a kindly, but rather particular, Goat couple, were sitting in their usual place at the far end of the exact middle pew in the congregation, when one of their Kids decided to test his butting skills and knocked down a large iron candelabra stand.

Out in the garden Elphaba heard the resounding clang and crying from inside and knew her day would not be as restful as she had hoped. Running to the church doors, she saw Frexspar quickly dismissing everyone over the ruckus the accident had caused. Thankfully no one was seriously injured, if at all. The stand had caused a rather loud bang that made the little Kid cry; the only damage done was the spilling of several ounces of wax onto the hardwood floor and the splashing onto the boot of a nearby parish-man.

As the congregation left to talk on the church lawn, Frexspar nodded at Elphaba, then to the mess, clearly ordering that she was to scrape the wax from the grain and restore order. Sighing, Elphaba went back to the kitchen in search of her apron and a knife to pry the chunks of cooled wax from the cracks. As she returned, she found one of the church's most devout patrons, Miss Nessarose, conversing with Frexspar. From what Elphaba had absorbed of Frexspar's incessant praise of the girl was that she was, not only the daughter of the Governor of Muchkinland, but the most tragically beautiful young girl in the entire country.

Elphaba could clearly see the tragedy of her existence; her legs rested uselessly against the footrest of her wheelchair. As for her beauty? Elphaba thought her too pale to be beautiful, but she was definitely pretty, even if she looked a little too much like a doll.

"The Unnamed God smiles upon you, my daughter," Frex was saying, smiling to himself at the devotion of his favourite disciple.

"Thank you, Father," replied Nessarose, bowing her head modestly, "I live only to serve him."

Over where she was attempting to lift the heavy candelabra back to its rightful position, Elphaba rolled her eyes.

The two continued to talk as Elphaba righted the ironwork and knelt to scratch wax from the woodwork. She worked diligently for a few minutes before being interrupted by Frexspar, "Ah, Elphaba, could you fetch my hymnal from my bedside table? I'd like to show Miss Nessarose a verse from my favourite hymn."

Puffing a loose strand of hair from her eyes and panting from exertion, Elphaba gave an exasperated look up from the candelabra, "Can't you get it yourself?"

Elphaba could see his eye quiver as he struggled to maintain his 'perfect priest' guise in front of his favourite disciple.

"I could, but as you can clearly see I am otherwise engaged at the moment," Frexspar barely managed not to growl.

"Doing what?" snorted Elphaba, shaving wax from a chunk that refused to come away in one piece, "Idly chatting to your lemming?"

"Elphaba," growled Frex, his upper lip now beginning to twitch, "That is no way to talk about the church's patrons!"

"Yes. Sorry, Father."

Elphaba stood and brushed wax flakes from her apron before heading for the door that joined the church to the living quarters, "I'll go fetch it right away."

"No, no. It's fine, _I'll_ get it." Frex said, before storming out, leaving Elphaba standing awkwardly halfway to the door.

Elphaba returned to her work after a few moments of bemusement, resuming her scratching at the floor while Nessarose folded her hands in her lap, unsure of whether she should break the awkward silence.

"Nice to see you this morning, Miss Elphaba."

"Likewise."

Neither girl sounded particularly excited about making acquaintance.

"I think your holy name counteracts the curse of your skin."

Elphaba pursed her lips and frowned, unsure of how to properly respond to such a statement.

"It's not quite spelt the same way as Saint Aelphaba's name was. There's no, 'a' at the beginning."

"Oh," said Nessarose simply, "That's interesting." Her lack of interest was painfully apparent.

The two fell back into an awkward silence until Frexspar returned carrying the hymnal. He smiled when he entered, ignoring Elphaba and addressing Nessarose directly, "Let us talk outside in the sun, instead of in this dull room."

"Yes, that sounds lovely, Father" Nessarose promptly agreed, eagerly wheeling herself out the large church doors. Frex lingered behind momentarily, turning to Elphaba who was still cleaning the floor.

"Elphaba?" Frex warned in a low voice.

"What?" Elphaba looked up from her work again, annoyed.

Frex paused for a moment, eying the green girl carefully, "Polish the rest of the floor as well."

The large church doors slammed behind him as he left.

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**HUGE shout out to my beta Fae the Queen! She is by far the best beta I have ever had.**


	3. Chapter 3

**As the Crow Flies Chapter 3**

**Buskins are long socks or stockings worn under a priest's garb. Admittedly this one is late because I got a bit too excited writing moments from chapters to come and forgot I had to get there first! Extra long chapter to make up for the delay, (plus I really wanted to get this one right).**

The following Monday, Elphaba was outside hanging out the laundry. Her hands were still raw from polishing the chapel yesterday, and the bone chilling wind made this simple task more of a trial than Elphaba would have liked. Seeing as it wasn't a Sunday, Elphaba had traded her head covering for a simple navy knit hat.

After dropping one of Frexspar's buskins for the fourth time that day, the man himself came striding across the grass carrying a small bundle of envelopes.

"Elphaba!" He bellowed from across the lawn.

Elphaba barely flinched, "Yes?"

"Where's Biff? I need him to make a delivery to town."

"He's cleaning the south wall windows."

"I have some post that needs to be taken in to town, give these to him for me."

"Alright." Elphaba continued to fumble with the pegs in her hands.

"Alright, what?"

"Alright, _Father._" Elphaba paused from hanging the buskins and took the envelopes from him.

Frex nodded and turned back to the main building. When he reached the doors, Frex glanced back and noticed that Elphaba had dropped the bundle into the washing basket and hadn't stopped fiddling with the pegs. "Now, Elphaba." He commanded sharply, "The laundry can wait."

Elphaba rolled her eyes before retrieving the envelopes from the basket and stalking off to find Biff.

Elphaba walked out onto the southern lawn that rested just above the church vineyard. As she passed Elphaba, could see Mr. Whistles among the vines, where he was preparing for the harvest that would occur in a few weeks time. The wine made from the grapes would be sold and used to fund the church for the following year.

Turning back to the church, Elphaba spotted Biff high up on a ladder with a cloth cleaning the church's elaborate stained glass windows. The pre-teen had been living at the church for three years and still thought Elphaba was a demon in disguise. His uncle had been living in the caretakers cottage since before Elphaba had arrived.

"Biff!" Elphaba called up at the boy, "Frex wants you to-"

Startled, Biff attempted to spin around to see the voice addressing him. Already being a jittery and unstable boy, he overbalanced on his ladder and plummeted with a terrified yell into the garden beneath the window. The cloth and bucket he was using were lost in the rose bushes across from the church.

"Biff!" Elphaba dropped the bundle of envelopes and ran across the lawn to the wall side gardens. She could hear the young man's pained groans from the shrubbery as she got closer. Frantically pulling apart the leaves, Elphaba shoved her way through the foliage until she reached Biff. He was laying on his back, with his hands clutching at his right ankle, his face screwed up in pain.

"Oz, are you alright?" Elphaba's voice conveyed her concern and slight panic.

"No." Biff groaned, "My ankle…"

"Okay," Elphaba knelt beside him, only for him to recoil away the handsbreadth he could in the cramped space.

Sighing Elphaba said, "Can you walk?"

"I-I think s-so." Biff tried to stand by himself, only to fall back with a pained cry.

"Look, you can't stand on your own so I'm going to have to help you stand, and that means I'm going to have to touch you."

Biff's jaw tensed and he looked away into the shrubs.

"Oh grow up. I know I threatened to curse you if you didn't bring me books, but aren't you old enough now to know I was joking?" Elphaba's voice was sharp with annoyance.

Biff still didn't respond. Elphaba offered him a small smile that she hoped made her appear trustworthy, only to huff in frustration when he refused to acknowledge her.

"For the last time it's not contagious!"

Biff looked up at her hesitantly, then down at his ankle, before reluctantly holding out his hand for her to take. Elphaba took his hand in hers and helped Biff to stand. He awkwardly stared at the ground as the two shuffled out from the shrubbery, his arm around Elphaba's shoulders, just as Mr. Whistles came running up from the vineyard.

When his uncle was within reach, Biff quickly untangled himself from Elphaba and grasped his uncle's arm. Surprised, Mr. Whistles glanced apologetically at Elphaba before addressing his nephew.

"That was quite the crash, my boy. Even I heard it out in the field."

As the words left his mouth, Frexspar came storming around the corner of the church, drawn to the disturbance of his peace.

"What is going on out here?"

"It's alright, Father," said Mr. Whistles, "My nephew's just had a bit of a fall an' hurt his ankle."

"I-It's alr-right, F-Father Frexs-spar, sir. I c-can still w-wa-!" Biff attempted to put his weight back onto his ankle only for it to collapse underneath him, forcing his uncle to take his whole weight, causing Biff cry out again.

"I guess it'd be best for you to get inside and rest. Elphaba will cover your duties until you are able to walk again."

Biff sent Elphaba an apologetic look as she gave an irritated sigh.

"Elphaba, you make the delivery." Frexspar picked up the bundle from where Elphaba had dropped it and held it out towards her, "I trust you know where the post office is?"

Elphaba took the bundle wordlessly before setting off down the hundred yard stretch of road that lead into town.

As much as Elphaba enjoyed observing the town from her attic window, being out amongst the people was an entirely different story. Of course she had been into town before, a number of times, but that didn't mean it was an experience she enjoyed.

Elphaba could still remember the driving snow and the sting of rocks against her back.

She shook the memories from her head, as now wasn't the time for reminiscing. She had a job to do and Frexspar would not be pleased if she were away longer than necessary.

As she got closer to the main road, the trees grew sparse and houses took their place. Soon she was amongst the townsfolk of Longstone going about their daily business.

Many of the people recognised the green girl from her previous visits to town, but others... not so much. As she walked the main street, people parted before her, sometimes scrambling to avoid her as if she was the embodiment of the plague. Others who had seen her before were less wary, but still avoided eye contact.

Elphaba's jaw tensed, _this _was why she hated going into town.

Just ahead the townsfolk were parting for another reason. A trio of soldiers were demanding tax from an old Goat dressed in a tattered red vest with small spectacles perched on his nose.

"Come on Goat, we haven't got all day!"

"Yes, yes, sorry gentlemen."

The Goat sounded upset and irritated as he scurried into his shop, a bookstore, before emerging a moment later with a small coin purse which he meekly handed to the largest soldier who took it and opened it, eyes sparkling with greed.

"Thank you for your faithful citizenship, Goat," The beefy soldier 'accidently' knocked over a small stand of books out the front of the shop.

"Oops, sorry." His tone dripped with fake sincerity.

As the Goat bent to pick up his scattered wares, the soldier kicked the old Goat in the rear, making the Animal bleat in surprise as he sprawled out onto the pavement, losing his small glasses in the fall. As the Goat scrambled for his glasses, the soldier picked up a small book from the storefront stand.

"I'll be taking this as well, my niece likes books, ya see."

The group of soldiers echoed their leader's uproarious laughter as they walked off down the road, slapping each others backs and joking about the Goats pathetic bleating.

When the soldiers had moved a little further down the road, Elphaba ran to the Goat's side, picking up his glasses for him.

"Ah, thank you." He squinted through the lenses for a moment before focusing on Elphaba's face. "Oh," was all he could summon in response to her unique complexion.

Uncomfortable with the Goat's blank stare, Elphaba spoke up to draw his attention elsewhere, "You shouldn't let them bully you like that."

Drawn from his shocked trance, the Goat blinked before replying to her, "Oh, I'm afraid there's no opposing the Gale Force, my dear. Even so, your kindness is most welcome."

"Gale Force," Elphaba frowned in confusion, "The Wizard's soldiers?"

"Yes, I'm afraid the further from the Emerald City you go, the worse they get." The Goat dusted at his vest absently.

"Well then you're welcome Mr-?"

"Dillamond, my dear. You may call me Dillamond." Now sufficiently recovered, he held out a hoof which Elphaba shook, more than a little surprised. It was the first time in years someone had willingly touched her hand.

"And it's very nice to meet you, Miss-?"

"Elphaba."

"Elphab-Ah!" Dillamond smiled in realisation, "You must be Biff's friend that he's always buying books for."

Elphaba smiled, "Yes, that's me."

"Well then, would you like to come inside and I'll show you around?"

Elphaba's smile widened before her smile quickly faded as she remembered the reason she was in town to begin with, "Oh, I need to be heading to the post office."

"I see."

"I suppose I could spare a few minutes." The rare opportunity for Elphaba to wander around in a bookstore was too great a temptation to walk away from.

"Marvelous, come in!" Dillamond shuffled into his small store, collecting a few fallen books from the pavement as he went. "You have a taste for Ozian history if I recall correctly."

Surprised Elphaba eagerly engaged the old Goat in his clever choice of topic. "Yes, it's fascinating to see how our systems have evolved over our documented history."

"Such a focus on our history must mean you have quite the taste for the political climate as well, hmm?"

"Well, not really. Seeing as I don't leave the church grounds very often, any updates I get are few and far between." admitted Elphaba with a small sigh.

"Well, Ozian Politics is very closely interlinked with many of the major events of the past few hundred years, as you may have noticed in the variety of texts you have already read," began Dillamond, happy to be able to teach his guest something new. "The biggest catalyst for the current political climate was-"

"The Wizard taking power." Elphaba finished.

Startled, Dillamond paused before smiling encouragingly, "Yes, indeed! The Wizard has been responsible the enhancement of our culture and the advancement of our technologies for the past thirty years. But…" Dillamond glanced over Elphaba's shoulder, seeing the soldiers lurking on the street outside, "Oh, I've gone and done it again."

"What's wrong?" Turning to follow Dillamond's gaze, her brow furrowed.

Dillamond shuffled his hind-hooves on the rugged floor, "I almost said something I shouldn't. It's dangerous to have an opinion, you know."

The old Goat turned abruptly and hobbled through the shelves of his book store leaving Elphaba to stand just inside the door, at a loss to whether she should follow or not.

"Here." Dillamond's sudden reappearance startled Elphaba out of her reverie. He waved a large book under her nose which she took, curious. "Chapter 5 briefly implies a link between the Wizard and the recent _difficulties_."

Elphaba flicked through the pages of the book, eager to begin reading. Closing the cover she looked up at the nervous old Goat, "You shouldn't be afraid to speak out against them."

Dillamond gave a nervous chuckle, "How, Miss Elphaba? I'm an old Goat, there's not all that much I can do."

"I don't know, maybe the Wizard can help?"

Dillamond's eyes flickered, "Yes," he said vaguely, "maybe the Wizard could do something."

Something in his tone had Elphaba wondering if the Goat truly believed what he said.

"Well, I'd better get going," said Elphaba, once again remembering her purpose. "I'm already a bit late and Father Frexspar will be waiting."

"Ah, alright. That's fine," Dillamond adjusted his glasses and smiled up at the green girl before him. "I suppose you could visit another time?"

"I don't see why not. With Biff injured I suppose I'll be the one doing all the running about."

"Excellent. I look forward to our next conversation, Miss Elphaba."

"Good-bye, Mr. Dillamond."

Elphaba sent the Goat one last smile before leaving the shop and to deliver the letters to the post office. Her chest felt light as she thought about visiting the clever old Goat again.

**Also, I'm using my twitter account to post hints and updates on this story so feel free to check it out :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**As The Crow Flies 4**

**So sorry about the delay! I had a last minute content overhaul and decided to write something completely different for this chapter instead of what I had, hence the delay. Also, apparently being a member of society means I have to be social and talk to real people. From now on I will be back to giving you two updates weekly, hopefully more promptly :/**

As soon as Elphaba had returned from town, Frexspar had ordered her to take on Biff's chores on top of her already numerous duties. This meant that she now had to clean the windows and prune back all the foliage before Winter set in, on top of running errands into town.

Mr. Whistles helped her as much as he could while his nephew sat in front of the kitchen stove, his foot elevated on another chair.

Elphaba obeyed silently, performing all her duties quickly and efficiently, in the hope that Frexspar would soon ask her to go into town for him. Thankfully she didn't have long to wait.

Just three days days after she had first met Dillamond in town, Frexspar once again came striding across the lawn. In his hand he held a thick book, unlike of a bundle of envelopes like last time.

"Elphaba," He called, disturbing her from helping Mr. Whistles prune back the roses for the winter, "I need you to take this down to Miss Nessarose at the Governor's Townhouse."

Elphaba quickly dropped the branches she was holding into the large gardening bag and pulled off her gloves, taking the parcel from Frexspar's hands, "Yes, Father!"

Busting past a rather perplexed Frexspar, Elphaba could barely able to contain her smile as she ran up through the church and retrieved the book Dillamond had lent her from her attic room, before she set off down the In Road into town.

Miss Nessarose's townhouse was on the far side of town by the river, meaning that Elphaba would have to circle around on her way back so she could visit Dillamond's shop on the Main Street, but she didn't mind. The scenery down by the river was beautiful and well worth the trip. Elphaba had used to sneak down to the river side to read when Frexspar had forced her to attend school. Thankfully, Elphaba no longer had to attend as the teachers had long since decided that they couldn't teach her anything new, and the students had begun to forcibly shun her from the grounds with insults and small rocks whenever she was within range.

This time as she walked through town Elphaba barely noticed the stares from the townsfolk and she was quickly out onto the less populated section of the In Road, which meant that she didn't run into so many people.

As Elphaba came within sight of the large wrought iron gates of the townhouse, she noticed a group of uniformed men setting up tents along the river bank on the outskirts of town. A military camp. As Elphaba continued down the road she saw more men performing combat drills in the fields and yet more tending to horses and weaponry.

Soon, she was passing through the gates of the Governor's townhouse. The Governor himself didn't actually live in the Longstone manor. He had constructed the townhouse for his daughters use in hopes that the fresh country air and calming environment would help improve her poor health.

Elphaba walked up the stone steps and knocked on the door. After a few moments a taller-than-average Munchkin answered the door. His eyes widened with surprise and recognition but he quickly schooled his expression as he retreated half behind the door. "How can I help you?" He asked, staring at a spot just left of Elphaba's face.

"Hello, Boq," greeted Elphaba, smirking slightly at his forced gentility. "I have a delivery for Miss Nessarose."

"Give it to me," Boq stuck his hand through door, still avoiding her gaze, "I will deliver it."

Elphaba ignored his outstretched hand instead allowing her curiosity to get the better of her as she questioned him, "Who are the soldiers camped just down the road?"

"The Gale Force, the Wizard's men. I don't know," Boq shrugged. "Just give me the delivery and go."

Elphaba handed it over and sent a sarcastic smile Boq's way before turning and leaving back through the gates, heading into town to visit her new Goat friend.

"Mr Dillamond?" Elphaba called as she entered the book shop. The counter stood unattended and the store seemed empty. Elphaba called again and this time received an answer.

"Oh, sorry Miss Elphaba!" the old Goat hobbled out from amongst the shelves, "I'm afraid I didn't hear you come in."

Elphaba smiled, "It's alright. I brought you back that book you lent me."

"Ah, yes," Dillamond took it from her, peering at the cover, "Did you enjoy it?"

"Very much!" Elphaba was about to continue raving about the book when she noticed the old Goat squinting up at her quizzically. "What's the matter Mr Dillamond?"

Dillamond shook his head slightly and blinked, returning to himself, "I'm sorry, Miss Elphaba but, If you don't mind my asking," Elphaba gave a rueful smile at the old Goat's rambling, "I'd never seen you around town before the other day, not that you're particularly hard to miss."

"Oh, I don't venture out much. I prefer to stay at the church where no one can stare."

Dillamond nodded in understanding.

"I could say the same about you, Mr Dillamond. How long have you been in town?"

"I moved in this Spring just gone," he said, "I wasn't expecting quite so many soldiers though."

"Yes," Elphaba frowned, "I saw a group camped along the In Road. What are they all doing here?"

"I'm as baffled as you are, my dear. They've been pouring in from all over Oz. I heard that they're setting up camps all along the eastern border."

Elphaba nodded, "A squad passed by on the In Road this morning. Why are they here?"

"I don't know," his concern showed on his face, "and from what I've gathered from the townsfolk, the soldiers themselves don't know either."

"But, soldiers fight, and there's nothing out here to fight except wheat germ."

Dillamond chuckled, "Oh, Miss Elphaba," his smile faded into a grim mask as he gazed out the window of his shop, "I fear their purpose is much bigger than that."

Elphaba was just about to question him further when he took a deep breath and smiled up at her again, "How did you find that last book I lent you?"

Elphaba realised the old Goat had no intention of continuing on his previous topic, and willingly joined him in this one.

"It was fascinating. I never knew the history of Ozian politics could be so interesting."

Dillamond's face lit up, clearly pleased. "And, Chapter five?" he asked, curious.

"You mean the part about the Wizard's chief advisor?"

"Yes that's it." Dillamond urged her on.

"I didn't find anything odd about the Wizard's advisory staff," Elphaba shrugged.

"Nothing odd?" Dillamond's face fell once more, "No I suppose not. Well, maybe you'd like to read something on military history next? All this talk of soldiers must have piqued your interest, hmm?"

Elphaba smiled enthusiastically down at the Goat, "Sounds good, Mr Dillamond."

This time when the old Goat hobbled into the shelves Elphaba followed. As she looked around, she realised the store was a veritable maze of shelves and stacks of books from all over the country. She gaped at the sheer number of books that the Goat had managed to cram so many books into his tiny store. There were books leaning against one another, crammed on top of each other and even stacks on the floor and on the top shelves. Amongst the books Elphaba spotted the occasional numbered label that must have been some sort of system to the chaos that Dillamond used because he seemed to know exactly where he was going through the labyrinth.

Dillamond stopped before a shelf and regarded its contents for a moment before selecting a large text.

"Here you are, Miss Elphaba." He held the book out to her, "Feel free to have it for as long as you like."

"Thank you, Mr. Dillamond." Elphaba took the book and eagerly opened the cover to begin reading.

Dillamond cleared his throat to get her attention, a small smile on his face, "I think you'd better be headed back to your duties, Miss Elphaba."

"Oh, of course," she laughed lightly, embarrassed, "See you, Mr. Dillamond."

"So long." He waved as he lead her out onto the main street and watched her begin her walk back to the church.

Once on the street Elphaba once again opened her book and began walking back to the church, nose buried within the pages.

Faintly, through her concentration Elphaba heard someone close by call, "Hey, throw it over here!" then something large and not quite soft hit her, hard. Elphaba stumbled and dropped her borrowed book into a muddy puddle

Furious she picked it up and spun around to see what, or who, had hit her, "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

Before her stood a rather sheepish soldier holding a round loaf of bread in his hands. His blue eyes struggled to look nonchalant as he tried to disguise his shock as he said, "Sorry, Greenie."

**Obscure musical quiz! From which musical comes the song with the lyrics, "I rather be nine people's favorite thing, than one hundred people's ninth favorite thing?" No cheating! Answer will be in the next update.**

**Also, shout out to the guest Beta for this chapter The Wizard Of Wicked as my regular Beta has been super busy this week! I still love her to bits though :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Another delay? I'm sorry :( I've been out for every night this week so writing time has been short. Also, went to a trampoline arena last night! So fun! You know how they say 10 minutes of jumping equals 30 minutes of running? Well, I was in there for an hour and boy do I believe it! My everything hurts! Anyways, on with the chapter!**

Elphaba rebounded off of the figure before her, wincing as she crashed onto the hard road. Scrambling to her feet she faced the uniformed man before her. "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry, Greenie," The soldier smiled uncertainly, the loaf of bread hanging awkwardly from his hand. "I didn't see you there. Not that you're very hard to miss."

"Wow, smooth." Elphaba deadpanned, reaching down to pick up her book, only to have it snatched away before she could reach it.

Heaving an annoyed breath, she straightened up to glare up at the soldier.

"But I could say the same to you," He said, tossing aside the bread so he could flip through the pages, "walking with your nose in a book is hardly watching where you're going."

"Give that back." Elphaba attempted to snatch it from his hands only for it to be waved just out of her reach.

"A-ah," he grinned down at her, "What's the magic word?"

Elphaba glared up at him for a moment, her arms crossed, "Would you like to have children in the future?"

The soldier paused for a moment, unconsciously shifting to protect his manhood before lowering the book for Elphaba to take. "That'll do, I suppose."

"Hey, Fiyero! What are you doing, man?" Another soldier's voice cut through the air.

"Give us a sec!" Fiyero called back.

Her book safely in hand, Elphaba turned on her heel and strode off in the direction of the church.

"Woah, not even a goodbye?" Realising she was leaving, Fiyero jogged up and fell into step beside her, "That's a bit harsh don't you think, Greenie?"

"My skin may be my defining feature but that does not mean 'Greenie', as you so eloquently put it, is my name."

Fiyero quick-stepped in front of Elphaba, effectively blocking her escape, "Well then what is it?"

She glared up into his face, "Are you always so impertinent?"

"I'm going to say yes, even though I have no idea what that means." His smile was quick, and unapologetic.

"Why am I not surprised?" Elphaba tried to step around him, only to be blocked again, Fiyero's cocky grin replaced with a bemused frown.

"Are you implying that I'm stupid?"

"Yes."

"I'm not just some brainless soldier, you know!"

"Well, you could've fooled me." Elphaba snapped, and moved again to leave but Fiyero's hand flew out, grasping her upper arm and preventing her escape, once again making her drop her book.

"Let go of me!"

"Pride dictates that I cannot let you leave with you still thinking that I'm an idiot!"

"Well, too bad! My mind's made up."

"Well, then I'm just going to have to un-make it."

"You're not off to a very good start."

"Well you should learn to be more open-minded." Elphaba's mouth dropped open in shock, just as one of the soldier's comrades called out, "Hey, Fiyero! Fall in, it's time to head back to camp."

Fiyero turned and called back at his comrade, unconsciously releasing his hold on Elphaba. "Yeah, yeah! I'm coming!"

Turning back to continue his conversation with Elphaba, he was met with only empty air. The green girl had vanished, and in her rush she had left her book where it had fallen.

Back at the church, Elphaba channelled her rage from the encounter into furiously cleaning the kitchen. She knew she shouldn't have let it get to her, but something about that brainless idiot of a soldier had pushed all of her buttons. She was so lost in her thoughts that her hand slipped on the soapy surface of a plate causing it to fall to the bench and snap in two. Elphaba cursed silently to herself as she fumbled with the pieces, trying in vain to fix her mistake.

"Elphaba!" Frexspar came storming into the kitchen, his face red with barely contained rage, "What in Oz have you done?"

Shocked, Elphaba looked up from the sink, attempting to block the broken plate from Frexspar's view with her body. "Done? I haven't done anything."

"There is a soldier at the door asking for you, specifically!"

Confused and, admittedly, a little worried, Elphaba hurried to dry her hands and open the large church doors only to see the smiling face of a certain blue-eyed soldier.

"Oh, it's you," stated Elphaba in a shocked and wary voice.

"That's not very nice," Fiyero teased.

"Go away." Elphaba began to close the heavy church doors but Fiyero stopped the wood with one of his hands.

"Woah, hear me out."

Elphaba just looked up at him in exasperation, folding her arms across her chest.

Fiyero cleared his throat before beginning, "I had quite the time tracking you down, none of the townsfolk seem to like you that much."

"I can't imagine why." Elphaba said, dryly. "What do you want?"

"In your rush to escape me, you dropped your book, again." Elphaba's eyes widened in recognition as Fiyero held out the book. He smiled, satisfied when Elphaba hesitantly took it.

"Also, I wanted to apologise." He continued.

Elphaba looked up at him in surprise.

"I know I'm not the most sensitive person, let alone smartest, " Elphaba scoffed, but Fiyero plowed on "but I know I was out of line, and I'm sorry. Those guys bring out the worst in me."

Elphaba, looked up at him, confused by his sudden change. "What is it with you?"

"What?"

"When you ran into me, you weren't repulsed by, well, my skin."

"Was I supposed to be?" Fiyero frowned, confused.

Elphaba shrugged and looked away, "That is the usual reaction."

"Well, in the Vinkus, where I'm from, the people are all diverse in skin tone, and many have decorative tattoos. See?" Fiyero reached up and pulled back his collar to reveal a trail of small, blue diamonds tattooed down his neck, disappearing into his shirt.

Elphaba's eyebrow quirked, "The tattoos may impress the ladies where you're from, but you're falling short here."

"Why so abrasive? Can't we just be friends?"

"No."

"Hey!" He pouted at her. "Why not?"

Elphaba paused, uncertain if she should continue the conversation. The soldier watched her for a moment before deciding to move the conversation for her.

"I'll start us off. My name is Fiyero."

"I heard."

"And you are?"

She paused, considering her options, "Elphaba."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Elphaba." He bowed slightly, a small smile teasing the edge of his mouth.

Elphaba just watched him blankly. "You've given me my book now go away."

"Alright, I'm going," He held his hands up in mock surrender, releasing his hold on the door. "I hope to see you around, Miss Elphaba."

"The sentiment is _not_ returned." Her tone was forceful as she slammed the door in his face.

**Congratulotions to those who guessed title of show to be the musical from last chapters challenge! Broadwaygirl21 and The Wizard Of Wicked both get virtual high-fives! For this week's challenge we'll be doing something a little bit easier (but a lot older): Which Gene Kelly musical had him tap-dancing on roller skates?**


	6. Chapter 6

**I found a picture of Elphaba pouring molten gold into a mold and saying, "I'M SMELTING!" I still haven't stopped laughing. On that note, with this update we get a new cover photo! I drew it myself :) (with a reference) I'm in the process of drawing something else that I might use at the moment. Also, rating went up one just to be safe.**

Several weeks had passed and Biff's ankle was almost healed, meaning Elphaba would no longer be able to visit town to see Dillamond and his wonderful book shop.

Elphaba walked into the church kitchen to find Biff up on his feet, slowly pacing around the bench, testing his weight on his foot.

"Almost healed?" Elphaba asked casually.

Biff jumped slightly, the sudden movement making him wince and lean against the bench, "Y-yes. Thank y-you. I sh-should be fine to w-work b-by tomorrow."

Elphaba nodded, pretending to busy herself at the stove to hide her disappointment. "Good, I was tired of having to do all of your work on top of mine."

Frexspar walked into the kitchen, "Ah, Biff. Good, you're walking. I need the post taken into town."

Elphaba stepped forward and quickly cut in, "Biff's foot still needs a bit of rest, I'll take it in."

Frexspar looked down at her suspiciously while Biff looked at her in shock.

"Alright," conceded Frexspar, slowly, "But hurry back! I feel something isn't right today."

Elphaba ignored his suspicions and hurried into town, heading straight for Dillamond's book shop. She flung the door open to find the old Goat sitting behind the counter, writing feverishly in a small notebook.

"Mr. Dillamond? I've come to say good bye."

Startled the Goat looked up from his notebook, placing his quill into the pot, looking up at her curiously "Good bye? Why, Miss Elphaba? Are you going somewhere?"

"Not really, no. It's just that Biff has gotten back on his feet and this will probably be the last time I am allowed into town for a while."

"I see, it seems Oz is getting less and less, well, colourful these days."

"How do you mean?" Elphaba perched herself rather precariously atop a pile of books beside the counter so she could listen.

"Well, an old Owl friend of mine who lives just a few towns north of here recently sent me a correspondence. He sounded rushed and rather perturbed. In his letter he said that soldiers had begun to arrive in his town and seemed to be preparing for something bad."

"What do you think it was, Mr. Dillamond?"

"Something bad, Miss Elphaba," the old Goat shook his head in bewilderment. "Something bad across all of Munchkinland by the sound of it, possibly all of Oz! It seems someone out there no longer wants Animals speaking out."

Just as the words left his mouth a loud crash resounded from the streets followed by horrified screams and hurried shouting.

"That sounded bad!" Elphaba leapt to her feet and dashed out the door, running towards the commotion, unheeding of Dillamond's cry to wait.

Outside the shop, the main street was filled with confused Munchkinlanders all headed in the same direction, the town square. Elphaba followed after them, arriving to see dozens of soldiers milling around a cluster of large iron cages. Behind the cages was an enormous bonfire being fed torn books and broken furniture by the soldiers.

In the middle of the square stood a raised platform where a bespeckled man with a mustache stood shouting. "The Animals cannot be trusted! We have information from the Wizard incriminating them for treason!"

Munchkinlanders from all over town had gathered and were listening, some nodding in agreement, others confused and scared at this sudden and new development.

Behind her Dillamond, who had nervously followed her out into the street, gave a terrified shout as a group of soldiers converged on him and began leading him to the centre of the square.

In front of his store a soldier was emptying a large canister of liquid into the doorway.

"Mr. Dillamond!" Elphaba ran forward in a frantic attempt to help her friend.

"Stay back, Miss Elphaba! It's alright, I'll be fi-aaaah!" the old Goat's sentence cut off into animalistic bleating as two soldiers lifted him bodily, throwing him into a waiting cage.

"Mr. Dillamond!" Elphaba screamed in panic. The Goat hadn't moved from where he had landed. She charged forward, scrambling through the crowd to reach the cage only to be met with a wall of green coats preventing her advance.

"You! Get her away from here!"

"Yes, sir!" one of the green coats stepped forward, effectively blocking her view of the cage as he grabbed her arms and began leading her away.

"Get off me you-" Elphaba looked up at the soldier to find an unwelcome sight. "You!"

"I have a name, you know," said Fiyero, grinning slightly down at her. His smile quickly disappeared as he realised her state of panic.

"I don't care! I have to help him!" She cried, struggling to free herself from his grasp.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can do."

Elphaba shoved him hard in the chest, finally pulling away to face him, "Then you help him!"

"I can't! I can't go against my orders!" Fiyero pleaded with her.

"Then what good are you!" Angry tears pricked at Elphaba eyes as she glared up at the despondent soldier before her.

Around them the crowds cheered, each Munchkin caught up in the fervour of their united cause against the Animal threat.

"Elphaba!" She heard a more than familiar voice call behind her. Elphaba's turned, only to have her heart sink when she saw Father Frexspar pushing his way through the crowd towards her.

"What in Oz are you doing! You're supposed to be delivering the post, not causing commotions!"

Elphaba cursed under her breath before replying to Frexspar. "I saw smoke and thought someone might need help."

Frexspar's face was stuck halfway between anger and disbelief at her actions. They both knew Elphaba was lying through her teeth. Frexspar quickly glanced around at the crowd, and at Fiyero standing nearby, before turning back to Elphaba. "I'll deal with you when we get back," he growled.

Elphaba knew she should have been frightened by his threat, but she could not shake her thoughts away from the cages that were slowly being filled with the town's Animal population.

Frexspar looked to Fiyero who stood awkwardly to the side, "I'll take it from here."

"Of course, sir." Fiyero reluctantly turned away and pushed through the crowd to his commanding officer.

Up on the platform the man continued to rile the crowd up into a frenzy against the Animals. The more he spoke, the more people joined in, some had even begun to throw pebbles at the caged and shackled Animals.

"Someone has got to stop this!" Elphaba said, the horrible realisation of what was happening hitting her like a ton of bricks.

"Elphaba! Stay back!" Frexspar grabbed her arm and towered over her, his face stoic as he watched the Animals being caged. Elphaba tried to struggle out of Frexspar's firm grasp but he held her tight. "Don't," He warned in a low growl, "there's nothing you can do, girl."

Frexspar seemed strangely protective over Elphaba, which made her think that it was probably hard to be in the company of the same person for almost a decade and not feel some degree of responsibility for them. But that small comfort did nothing to quell Elphaba's rising anxiety for Dillamond. She continued to struggle against Frexspar's hold on her upper arm as she watched more Animals being forced from their homes and workplaces.

"This has to STOP!" The air around Elphaba seemed to pulsate and distort, the fabric of reality echoing out and away from her in waves. Everything slowed and came to a stop, until the whole square stood frozen, trapped in time.

An eerie silence fell over the square all as all movement ceased. Not a single soldier or Munchkin breathed, nor did the wind blow through the crowd. It was as though the town was caught in a painting, each person stolen from their lives and stuck in a single moment for the artist to enjoy. Elphaba would have laughed at some of their comical expressions and poses if she hadn't been so scared.

Elphaba carefully moved away from Frexspar in the direction of the cages where Dillamond and the other Animals were caged. As she moved, she avoided touching any of the townsfolk for fear they might suffer some horrible side effect when and if they returned back to their normal pace.

As she approached the cages, Elphaba was relieved to see that Dillamond had not been affected by the time ripple and was now standing at the bars of his cage, frantically gazing about the square.

"Miss Elphaba!" he called to her as she got nearer. "What have you done?"

"I- I'm not sure! I just wanted to help and-" her voice cut off in a panicked sob.

"It's alright, my dear, I'm fine." Dillamond reached through the bars and touched her hand gently, attempting to reassure her.

"We have to get you out of here!" Elphaba began to pull at the lock, but her efforts were in vain as the lock was too strong.

"No, Miss Elphaba! I'm afraid there's no point. I'm old and I can't run very fast, they'd just catch me again. And the other trapped Animals seem to be under your spell as well."

"My spell?"

Dillamond ignored her question, "You have to leave us."

"But-" Elphaba choked through a sob, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Looking up into his face she noticed a cut high on his forehead and was pulled back, ten years, to the last time someone had reassured her everything would be fine. It hadn't been, and it wouldn't be now. "You're the only friend I've had for such a long time."

The Goat smiled at her sadly through the bars. "I know, my dear. I have very much enjoyed your company as well."

Around them time was beginning to reassert itself, people starting to move at a glacial pace on their original courses.

A sudden urgency lit up in Dillamond's eyes when he realised the spell would not last much longer, "Quickly, before time goes back to normal, I can lend you one last book."

Elphaba shook her head, confused, "A book?"

The Goat nodded, "A very important one. Inside my shop, under the counter, is a loose floorboard. Under it is a box. Take it but do not open it until you are safe and alone where no one can see."

Elphaba turned to look down the street at Dillamond's shop, the flames slowly lapping at the air in their ravenous hunger.

"Please, Elphaba."

Still confused, Elphaba nodded quickly before reaching through the bars and hugging the Goat as best she could. "Alright."

He offered her one last small smile before urging her towards his shop with a gentle push.

Elphaba set off at a run through the crowd and down the street, careful not to bump into any of the people.

Standing before Dillamond's blazing store, Elphaba's knees were struck with a sudden weakness at the prospect of having to brave the flames. She was terrified of fire and had been ever since that fateful night when her life had changed forever. Small fires, like the stove fire, were fine, but large fires like this made her remember everything she tried to forget about her past. No, she could do this. She could do this for her friend.

Elphaba plunged headfirst through the doorway, holding her arms about her face to protect them. The flames may not have been moving but they retained their heat.

Inside the shop the path to the counter had remained blessedly clear and Elphaba scrambled through the orange glow and over scattered volumes to the counter.

Heaving a pile of books out of the way Elphaba crouched down under the counter and poked at the wooden boards. None of them seemed to be giving the slightest sign of movement and she began to panic. The flames may have been moving slowly, but they were still advancing in her direction, seemingly drawn by her fear.

Elphaba panicked and began to bang at the ends of the boards with the heel of her hand. Finally, one of the boards lifted slightly at one end and she grabbed it, sliding the plank section up and throwing it away into the depths of the shop. Beneath it was a surprisingly large hollow in which lay a rectangular box, no larger than the seat of a stool.

Gathering up the box, Elphaba hurried back out the door and onto the street.

Outside time was beginning to move faster again. Elphaba could see people turning their heads and taking slow steps forward as she ran past them back to Frexspar's side, just in time to see the townsfolk return to their fevered rioting. All of them were unaware that anything had happened.

**Just found out the "I'M SMELTING!" thing was by my favourite cartoonist. No wonder I thought it was hilarious! Congradulotions to Broadwaygirl21 and FrozenSWLoKfan01 for giving me that correct answer of Always Fair Weather from 1955. For this week: We all know that wonderful musical My Fair Lady, right? Well, what is the name of the play it originated from?**


	7. Chapter 7

**So sorry about the delay! Urg, I feel so bad about it. My life is a bit of jumble at the moment with jobs and distractions and musicals and boys and the Justice League dying... But never mind all that! You have a chapter to read! Secrets of "the book" partially revealed!**

Elphaba and Frexspar walked along the In Road, heading back to the church. An uncomfortable silence had engulfed the two, both of them unsure how to act in the other's presence. Elphaba walked a few steps behind, her arms crossed firmly over her body, hugging the box from Mr. Dillamond's shop to herself.

Glancing up at Frexspar's black- coated back Elphaba marveled that he hadn't said anything about the strange box she was carrying. She had left the post she was supposed to deliver in Mr. Dillamond's shop where it was most definitely ashes by now. Of course he had no way of knowing where she had gotten the box from, but to ignore it so completely? That was strange.

But something other than Frexspar's ignorance towards the box was bugging her. Determined to take her mind off of it and what had just happened, Elphaba focussed her attention on the black coat just in front of her. "Why were you going into town?" she asked abruptly.

Ahead of her on the path, Frexspar stopped midstride before turning to look at her for a long moment. He heaved a breath before saying, "I heard that the Humbtons, that Goat family who regularly attends mass, were being mistreated by some soldiers so I came to assist. Unfortunately, I was too late."

Something unreadable passed over Frexspar's face before he schooled himself back into his stoic silence. The two continued on, tension thick in the air. Arriving back at the church, Elphaba began to walk in the direction of the kitchen, preparing to get back to work, despite being physically and emotionally exhausted. Behind her, Frexspar's jaw tightened as he hesitated for a moment.

"Elphaba? I'm sorry about your Goat friend." Frexspar called after her, his voice much gentler than his usual growl. He cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing, "You can have the rest of the day off."

Elphaba's eyes widened in surprise before she muttered a quick thank you.

As she ran upstairs she heard him call after her in his usual thunder, "But I expect you back at work first light tomorrow!"

Scrambling up the ladder, she hastily shut the trapdoor behind her, heaving the trunk that rested at the foot of her bed over the top of it to ensure she wasn't disturbed.

Elphaba hurried over to her bed, resting the box atop the covers and sitting before it. The logical half of Elphaba's brain was unsure if opening it was the right thing to do, but somewhere deep in her mind, her curiosity was pushing her to open it, reassuring her that this was what she wanted. Undoing the small latch on the box, Elphaba pried open the lid to find a thick, leather-bound book inside. There were no markings on the cover to indicate a title, nor did there appear to be anything special about it.

Curious, and a little confused, Elphaba wondered what was so important about the volume before her that Dillamond had been so anxious to protect, especially when there were so many other wonderful books in his store that were far more valuable.

As Elphaba reached out to touch it, her fingertips grazed the book's cover, and without warning, a small shock flew up her arm. Startled she pulled away, the shock fading almost immediately into a dull tingling before disappearing entirely.

Hesitantly, she reached out again. This time, the shock came as less of a surprise as Elphaba grasped the book, lifting it from the confines of the box.

As her hands enclosed the book her eyes widened as the tingling sensation returned, spreading from her fingers up her arms and into her chest before splitting in two, nestling in the pit of her stomach and in the base of her skull.

Elphaba didn't know whether it was the strange feeling or just the stress of the day making her hallucinate, but before her eyes, words were appearing on the book's cover, as if being written by an invisible hand. After a few moments the word 'Grimmerie' was spelt out before her in large, gothic lettering.

A part of Elphaba's logical mind was desperately telling her to put this 'Grimmerie' down before something bad happened, but she was too drawn in by this new discovery to pay her conscience any mind.

Now even more curious than before, Elphaba quickly pulled open the cover, eager to see what strange and wonderful things it contained.

The cover fell open easily in her hands, almost as though it helped her lift its heavy leather, as if it wanted her to read its content. Just as she flipped the empty title page to begin reading, a piece of neatly folded paper fell from between the pages, fluttering off her bed to rest on the wooden floorboards. Bending over the edge of her bed to retrieve it, Elphaba's hold on the Grimmerie slipped, causing her to blink a few times as the tingling sensation abruptly stopped.

Picking up the paper she slowly unfolded it to see that it was a letter written to Mr. Dillamond in an erratic, yet neat cursive.

_Dillamond,_

_I recently acquired this most curious piece from some travellers that passed through the Loch a few months ago. He said that it was a mysterious writing born of Lurline herself amongst the workings of the Time Dragon clock! Utter nonsense of course but it does give it an air of mystery, yes?_

_From what I have gathered it is extremely old, yet very well preserved, dating back nearly three hundred years. The cover had some dull, indistinguishable title etched into it that I cannot read. When touched it seems to gain a strange, and dare I say, _**life-like** _quality. It is best experienced firsthand then explained I am afraid. Although, I did show the book to my assistant and he did not seem to understand the fuss I made. The fellow even called me mad asking me what in Oz I was talking about, saying the book was completely blank. Determined to prove my sanity, I showed it to a select few more people and found that only a handful could see anything at all within the book, and even then, at best, squiggles of useless ink that one man described as childish scrawl. I must agree with him on that, from what I can see it is a very adequate description._

_I'm afraid I can make neither head nor tail of the strange markings inside so I have decided to pass it on to you. Knowing your interest in the finer points of literature, I was hoping you might be able to find a good home for it. _

_Sincerely,_

_Ferian._

Elphaba slowly lowered the letter to look back at the Grimmerie. "Strange," she muttered to herself. This Ferian said no one could read the title, let alone the words inside, yet here she sat atop her bed, the word 'Grimmerie' emblazoned upon the book before her for all to see.

Even more confused than before, Elphaba once again picked up the book, this time taking a closer look at the pages inside. As she turned the first page, Elphaba saw the strange markings that Ferian had described. At first glance they did indeed seem to be childish squiggles that didn't even resemble letters, but the closer Elphaba looked, the more the tingling in her stomach and head grew, and the more she saw.

Childish squiggles soon formed letters that floated across the paper, joining together in seemingly random strings. The joined strings then seemed to form archaic sounding words in the same gothic print as the title. The words themselves wafted across the pages forming phrases before sporadically shattering into single letters that spiralled away to join others, the process repeating an infinite amount of times in several different places on the one page. If one page was such chaos, Elphaba dreaded to think of what the rest of the book was like.

Without really registering what she was doing, Elphaba began to pronounce the strange archaic words that appeared on the pages. The sounds, though foreign and unfamiliar, flowed freely from her mouth as though she had been speaking this language her entire life. As she said the words more and more letters floated across the page to continue the string of sounds she was speaking.

Outside her window, a man's scream echoed around the church.

**Dun dun duuuun! What has she done?! Next update coming soon ;)**

**Why are you all so smart? The answer was Pygmalion! It's very good and definitely worth seeing if you can. Congradulotions to vinkunwildflowerqueen, heatqueen, Broadwaygirl21 and The Wizard Of Wicked!**

**This week's challenge is another easy one: Which musical is the character Old Deuteronomy from?**

**Reviews are love and happiness :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**You know, I seriously regret calling Mr. Whistles, "Mr. Whistles". I can't take him seriously at all and snigger whenever I write his name. On the other hand, uni starts back next week and I am determined to keep updating as regularly as possible! This story has a long way to go and it will be finished!**

**In other news, I now have a job! Yay, cafe! Also spent a day and a half singing and performing at a church conference thing, so I am beyond tired right now!**

The scream outside abruptly pulled Elphaba from her trance-like state, stopping the flow of words from her mouth.

Dropping the Grimmerie, she scrambled off the bed and ran to the small window that overlooked the church gardens. Through the clear glass,Elphaba could just see the northern gardens that blocked the church from the out, she spotted a panicked Frexspar running across the lawn in the direction of the scream. Just as he was about to leave her limited field of view, Elphaba faintly made out his expression changing from confusion to absolute horror.

Elphaba's heart dropped into her stomach. Somehow she knew this was her fault, that this was the result of the Grimmerie and its strange words.

Down on the lawn Elphaba watched as Frexspar began looking around himself, searching for the cause of all the commotion that Elphaba could not see. His eyes widened as they landed on her at the attic window before his face twisted with confused fear. The intensity of his gaze made Elphaba shrink away from the window.

Whirling back to face her room, Elphaba ran across the wooden floor in a panic and shoved the trunk off of the trapdoor. She clambered down the ladder, nearly falling as her feet slipped off of the rungs, the Grimmerie forgotten in her hurry.

As she burst out of the church doors, Elphaba loud voices, rounding to corner to find Frexspar, Biff and Mr. Whistles. As she looked around, Elphaba was met with a sight she would never forget. The two older men were standing around a writhing Biff, his face contorted with agony and fear. He was desperately clutching his dirt covered arm, holding it as far away from his body as he could. Mr. Whistles was frantically trying to calm his nephew, but was just making things worse. All the while Frexspar pulled at his hair and seemed to be ranting to the heavens, pleading with the Unnamed God for mercy.

As Elphaba approached, she realised to her horror that Biff's arm wasn't covered in dirt as she had first thought, it had turned into _wood_.

Having noticed her approach, Frexspar broke off his religious diatribe, his pious panic turning to rage as he put the pieces together in his head, deducing that Elphaba was somehow the cause.

"What curse have you brought down upon us?!" Frexspar's face was red with rage as he stormed across the grass, intercepting Elphaba as she tried to get to Biff.

"I bring you into this church, feed you, clothe you and all you repay me with is trouble!" Grabbing her arm, he flung her against the stone wall of the church. "I have been more than generous to you, you little gypsy wench! And the moment I show leniency you stab me in the back!" Spittle flecked across Elphaba's face as he yelled, inches from her face.

For the first time in her life, Elphaba was terrified of what Father Frexspar might do. Of course she had been frightened by him before, but nothing had made her blood freeze in her veins like right now.

His fist slammed into the stone next to Elphaba's head making her flinch, "Reverse it, witch!"

"I don't know how!" She screamed back into his face, her heart pounding in her throat.

Frexspar's fury faltered, his eyes burning with fury, but there was fear there as well. A fear that the girl he had sheltered for nearly a decade was not all she appeared to be. Releasing her, he quickly stepped away from her. "You can't stay here."

Elphaba's heart dropped into her stomach as she processed what he had just said. She had to leave the only home she had known for ten years.

Elphaba glanced over at Mr. Whistles and Biff, both of whom had calmed down enough and had been listening in to the exchange, only to be met with the same confused terror as Frexspar.

The heel of her boot caught on the grass as she backed away from the other church residents before turning and stumbling back inside.

Elphaba sprinted back upstairs to find the Grimmerie resting on her bed where she had left it.

"What have I done?"

She hadn't even known what she was reading, and this had happened!

It was as though the Grimmerie was showing her what it could do, giving her a taste of its power.

With an anguished scream, Elphaba hurled the Grimmerie across the room. The book hit the far wall with a thud and fell, its pages open and pressing against the floorboards. Her hair had fallen from its braid in the day's excitement and now hung about her face, shielding her from the world with a midnight curtain.

She had managed to lose her only friend and her home in one day.

Down on the grounds, Mr. Whistles returned his attention back to Biff's arm to find that nothing had changed.

"Father! It's not spreading past his arm!" He spoke, trying to get Frexspar's attention.

"Praise unto the Unnamed God!" Frexspar clasped his hands over his heart in relief. "Take him inside until we find a cure."

Mr. Whistles nodded and helped Biff to his feet. The boy was still shaken from the ordeal, hugging his arm to himself as he stumbled through the church doors.

"Father Frexspar, sir?"

Startled by the voice, Frexspar spun around, his gaze landing on the young messenger boy addressing him. "How long have you been there?" He demanded.

"I only just arrived, sir." the boy responded and Frexspar nodded absently.

"Are you Father Frexspar, sir?" the young boy asked.

The priest cleared his throat before responding, "Y-yes, that's me."

"The Wizard requests your presence in the Emerald City, one week from today." The boy handed over a bright, emerald green envelope. Frexspar dismissed the boy with a wave of his hand and turned the envelope over in his hands. Turning to look up at his beloved church, he spotted the attic window, this time devoid of the green face he had seen just moments before.

Frexspar looked down at the envelope once more before heading to the upper floor of the church to deal with a decade-old problem.

"Get down here girl!" He called through the trapdoor into the attic above him.

Moments later the wood creaked open slowly and Elphaba appeared, avoiding his stoic gaze as she descended the ladder. Standing before him on the landing, he noticed her eyes were tinged with red through her loose hair.

His jaw tightened and he cleared his throat slightly to get her attention. Elphaba looked up to see Frexspar holding aloft the emerald envelope, glaring down at her with murderous intensity.

"You will come with me to the Emerald City and never return here."

**The answer was Cats! I saw this live just the other week with a cast of over 500 people! Some of it was spectacular but it still only scored a 3.5/5 from me. Congratulotions to Broadwaygirl21 and Spiritwarrior27 and guest!**

**This weeks challenge is: How many minutes are in a year?**


	9. Chapter 9

**You have no idea how hard it was to be patient and write all this set up, I have a document full of moments and dialogue from chapters well into the future that I'm desperate to get to! But now, after this chapter, things really begin to pick up!**

**Also, I've decided to start answering some of your reviews! So if you have any questions for/or about me in regards to the story or life in general feel free to ask in a review or a PM :) You guys reviewing is what keeps me going on this.**

**NiatheWickedLover: Not only the Wizard, my dear...**

**Thedoctor24601: Thanks for joining in friend! I know exactly how you feel with unsatisfactory stories so I'm glad you like this one!**

**Note: A 'firkin' is an 8 gallon barrel. I also want Chenoweth to play Morrible. I think that would be great.**

Elphaba's trunk, packed with her meagre belongings thudded heavily down the church stairs behind her. Even though she had only filled the trunk halfway, it still somehow managed to weigh as much as Elphaba herself. Passing through the kitchen to use the back door Elphaba ran into Biff, his arm hidden in a sling.

Upon spotting each other they both froze, uncertain how to address one another. Biff's jaw clenched and he backed away a few steps, boring holes in the stone floor with his eyes.

Elphaba hesitated, before taking a deep breath and greeting him. "How's your arm?"

"Alright, considering." Biff replied softly,, the muscles in his neck straining with the effort it took to not turn tail and run.

Elphaba nodded absently before awkwardly shuffling past the boy and continuing out to the awaiting carriage. She wanted to apologise but knew that nothing she could say could reverse the damage she had done, and there was no way she was going to look at that cursed book again.

Elphaba watched from the window of the carriage she shared with Frexspar as villagers and soldiers alike went about cleaning the streets of ash and debris. Fires still burned in some places, and Animals were being caged and carried away in the town square.

As they passed, Elphaba found herself searching the crowds of faces in search of the soldier who had been so arrogant earlier that day. As she searched, she tried to remember his name, before it came back to her. Fiyero. Something inside her twinged with disappointment as the town faded from view behind her with no sign of him.

_-Nine Years Ago-_

A small farmer's cottage nestled by the road, hidden from view by a cluster of trees just outside the Munchkin village of Longstone.

"Boy!" A young Munchkin boy around ten years old ran into the kitchen at his mother's call. "Take out the bin for me."

"Yes, Ma." The Munchkin replied quickly as he wrapped his short arms around the firkin barrel that served as their bin. He held his breath as he hoisted the barrel into his arms, attempting to hold his nose as far away from the decomposing scraps as possible.

When he had successfully shuffled his way out into the yard he was met with the stinging cold common for mid-Winter night. Fresh snow had fallen that day, causing the boy's small feet to sink in the snow to his shins.

"Hurry or you'll catch your death out there, boy!" Called his mother from inside, her voice clipping through his musings, hurrying him along his way.

Momentarily putting the barrel down, he pulled his coat tighter around his small shoulders before moving on. He trudged his way through the thick snow to the rubbish cart and hoisted the barrel over the edge, tipping its contents out, ready to be carried away the next day.

As he turned to return to the warm house the boy noticed a bundle of rags lying underneath the cart. The rags were half buried in snow as if they had been there for quite a while. Knowing his father would be upset if the cart wasn't in order for tomorrow, the small boy shuffled under the cart to retrieve the rags, only to be stopped when he noticed something odd. From the bundle of rags a pair of small, bare, _green _feet protruded, the cold having caused a strange, purple discolouration to the toes. The Munchkin's eyes widened in a terror before he ran inside, frantically calling, "Ma! There's a monster in the yard!"

His mother stood at the kitchen counter, her attention focused on kneading pastry for their dinner, "Nonsense, boy. Monsters don't exist."

The young Munchkin grabbed his mother's skirts and tugged, excitedly repeating himself. "A monster! A _green_ monster!"

The woman sighed as she wiped the flour from her hands, deciding to humour her young son. "Where's this monster, now?"

The boy tugged his mother's skirt and she followed him out into the night.

"There, see?

His mother leaned close, her eyes searching the rags for a sign of life. When she spotted the two green feet she recoiled in horror, "Oh sweet Oz! What is it?"

"It's a monster!" exclaimed her son, bouncing up and down on his toes.

"Get your father," his mother demanded, panic evident in her normally even voice. Her son ran back inside and she pulled her shawl tight around her shoulders as she stood, staring at the feet until the pounding of heavy footsteps came from inside.

"What's wrong Rri?" The boy's father came running out into the snow, picking up a pitchfork that was resting against the cottage wall, his son close behind.

"There's something in there." Rri pointed at the pile of rags beneath the rubbish cart.

Her husband crept forward, pitchfork extended before him. Carefully, he used one of the prongs to move some of the rags so he could get a better look. Behind him, his wife stood anxiously by the door, holding their son who was craning his neck to see what his father was doing.

"What is it, Ger?" she asked.

"It appears to be some kind of creature," Ger frowned in confusion. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"An Animal?"

"Maybe." He sounded doubtful. "Looks human to me."

"What if it's dead?" said their son, childish curiosity welling in his eyes.

Rri quickly hushed her son just as she realised a new fear. "What if it's a demon?"

Ger withdrew his pitchfork and backed away. "We should get Father Frexspar," he said. "He'll know what to do."

Ger turned to his son, "Go fetch Father Frexspar from the church down on the In Road."

The little boy nodded and scampered off, leaving his parents to decide what to do in the meantime.

Father Frexspar was pulled from his evening prayer by a sudden knocking on the main doors to the church. He pulled off his glasses and set them on his desk before going to the doors. Pulling them open he was surprised to find a Munchkin boy gazing up at him excitedly.

Before Frexspar could ask what the boy wanted he had piped up, "We've found a monster in the yard!"

"A monster?" exclaimed Frexspar, bewildered.

"Ma told me to come and fetch you to get rid of it. She said it's evil."

Frex nodded slowly, unsure whether it was another over-reaction by the simple-minded Munchkinfolk before hurrying back into the church to gather his hat and bag. Stepping back out into the snow he started following the young Munchkin down the In Road towards the little farm house.

"What's your name boy?"

"It's Boq, Father," the Munchkin boy replied.

When Boq and Frexspar arrived at Boq's house, they entered the yard, finding a small fire had been lit alongside the creature in a feeble attempt to warm it.

Boq's parents were standing in the kitchen door waiting for him to return. Upon seeing their son they beckoned him over, leaving Father Frexspar alone to face the demon.

Father Frexspar muttered a quick prayer to himself before slowly reaching out and lifting part of the rags off of the green creature.

"My word!" He exclaimed.

Boq's mother hugged him closer, "What sort of demon is it, Father?"

"It's-" stuttered Frexspar, his shock leaving him speechless. "It's a little girl!"

Rri and Ger looked at each other in shock while Boq looked decidedly disappointed.

"A _green_ little girl."

Hesitating for a moment, Frexspar sent another prayer heavenward before shuffling the girl into his arms and moving her closer to the fire.

The Priest further examined the form before him. "She very nearly died."

"Its still alive?" Rri cried, horrified.

Her husband put his arm around her shoulders protectively saying, "She looks like one of us, but there's no telling what she's like on the inside."

"Perhaps she's been cursed!" piped up Boq, his mother quickly shushed him.

Frexspar looked up at the young boy and nodded absently. "That may quite possibly be the case. Until the curse can be lifted, someone is going to need to care for her."

Looking up at the Munchkin family before him, Frexspar was greeted with nothing but silence.

"Why not you Father?" said Rri, offering him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "If she's at the church she'll be close by for you to study, and you're protected by the blessings of the Unnamed God!"

Frex looked up at the hopeful faces around him. He was trapped. Looking back at the malnourished girl in the snow he conceded. "Alright. She can stay at the church until we find someplace else more suitable."

_- Present -_

"Wake up!" Frexspar's voice shattered through Elphaba's sleep. "We're here." After three days of travel they had finally arrived in the Emerald City.

Just as the coach carrying Frexspar and Elphaba arrived in the Emerald City, an old man stood high up on the balcony of the Emerald Palace looking over the city.

"It is time."

Behind him his Chief Advisor smirked with satisfaction before giving the order to mobilise.

**I almost wrote, "Oh hey, Elphaba. What are you doing there?" **

"**Oh, not much. Just chillin'." But I decided that wasn't a good idea.**

**It was a RENT question in disguise, the answer being 525,600 minutes! Congratulotions to my beta, FaetheQueen, Rosepetal33, Annabeth Granger and The Wizard Of Wicked! You're all geniuses! Though we had a lot of good (and not so good) guesses.**

**Next question is: Where is the song, 'Sit down you're rocking the boat' from?**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm back after over a month! That's crazy and I am beyond sorry! My writing tutor said, "There is no such thing as writer's block, just lazy writers", and man, did that kick my butt into gear! But coffee house work and uni assessment is a draining experience to say the least. PLUS I got a second job! What is life?**

**Also, did you know there is a competition to create the worst possible opening sentence for a novel? It's the most hilarious and brilliant thing I have ever seen!**

**And yet more notes: I recently finished watching an adorable anime called Spice and Wolf that had to most perfectly subtly romance worked through it that taught me a lot about writing banter and rapport. It's so cute and I loved how it had an economics focus instead of whacking people with swords. Sadly it takes them two seasons to get together, but that's what made it so great!**

**Thedoctor24601: 3am is a perfectly reasonable time to be awake! Even though I couldn't survive that late (being a morning person), I am assured by the rest of my species that this is a common behaviour :)**

**The Wizard Of Wicked: One short day to have a lifetime of fun! (Fun? Pfft! Not in this story! Well, maybe a little :P)**

**Elphabagirl: You make my heart smile :)**

**Fae'sFlower: Haha, I thought so! One too many zeroes! Yeah, Frex is a tough nut to crack.**

The Emerald City was abuzz with life as the carriage carrying Elphaba and Father Frexspar clattered through the paved streets. Glancing out the window, Elphaba caught sight of the thoroughly green theme to the city, her eyes widening at the grandeur of the towering buildings and unique culture.

As she watched, the carriage carried them away from the densely populated, boutique-lined streets and into the less glamorous side of town, where the buildings had clearly seen better days.

As they pulled up outside a shabby looking hotel, the sign above the door was faded and peeling, but Elphaba managed to read, "The Emerald Star Hotel". Frexspar cleared his throat awkwardly to capture Elphaba's attention. "I have arranged for you to stay in this hotel for three days. You have until then to find employment and lodgings."

Elphaba nodded tensely, glad that he had at least given her a head start. He didn't utter another word as she had disembarked from the carriage and was seeing to her luggage.

The coachman Frexspar had hired for the trip dumped Elphaba's trunk at the foot of the hotel stairs and climbed back up to his perch without a word. Bending to pick it up Elphaba was surprised to hear Frexspar's voice call softly from the carriage.

"I will pray for you."

Elphaba whirled around and watched the carriage pulled away and disappear down the street.

Sighing, Elphaba hefted her trunk up the stairs. Pausing at the door, she glanced back up the street and found it empty.

Through the door Elphaba found the foyer, sparsely furnished with only a few hard wooden chairs and the reception desk, and an old gramophone scratched away in the corner.

A girl sat behind the desk, her hair piled sloppily atop her head in an attempt to make herself presentable. Her jaw schmacked noisily on some gum as she filed her nails.

Elphaba cleared her throat a little and spoke up. "Excuse me?"

The girl at the desk merely glanced at Elphaba through half-lidded eyes before droning "Name?"

"Thropp." Elphaba replied.

The girl nodded absently and handed over a room key. "Room 93 is yours for three days and three nights, you may come and go as you please. After three days that you can either extend your stay or leave."

Elphaba took the key and nodded her thanks before heading to the stairwell. Finding her lodgings she found it to be of little difference to her room back at the church, furnished just as sparsely as the foyer with the addition or a small dresser and a single, rickety bed.

Setting her trunk at the end of the bed, Elphaba got to work unpacking what she would be needing for her stay. She folded the few dresses she had into the drawers and the book from Mr. Dillamond on top, _Grimmerie_ still seared into its cover. She left the rest of her belongings in her trunk, ready for when she would be leaving.

The bed creaked as Elphaba sat on its stained sheets, contemplating the past few days. Just last week she had been sitting in her room, reading and being yelled at to do her chores. Now the comfort of routine was gone, replaced with the relentless uncertainty that she may end up on the streets in three days time. No, it was certain she would be on the streets. After all, who would hire the green girl.

Rubbing at her face Elphaba stood hastily and gathered a the few coins she had saved over the past few years into her pocket and headed out the door. She wasn't about to sit down and wallow in self pity, she was going to survive, just like last time.

Elphaba walked out of her room and down the stairs, past the schmacking of the receptionist and onto the street. The rest of today would be for exploring and orientation in the city, so Elphaba strode purposefully in the direction she had come in the carriage, heading towards the more modern side of town.

As she walked, Elphaba once again noticed that the buildings towered over head, dwarfing anything she had seen in Longstone. After rounding a few corners and following her nose, Elphaba ended up standing on one of the main streets, taking in the hustle and bustle of the heart of Oz.

Stores of every kind clustered along the streets. A menagerie of dress shops and salons were lined up beside cultural monuments and cafes. There were people calling from every direction, trying to get passersby to enter the stores and buy their goods.

And all of it was green. Everything seemed to be green here. The clothes, the buildings, even the food at the cafes was green. And there was something else strange that Elphaba couldn't quite put her finger on, something to do with the people here.

Just as she was about to figure it out, a paper boy barreled into her, knocking her off her feet.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" She yelled up at him.

"Oops! Sorry, miss!" The fellow smiled apologetically and helped her to her feet, bowing quickly before hurrying on his way.

Elphaba blinked after him finally realising what the strange thing was.

_No one was staring at her._

So unexpected was this realisation that Elphaba laughed out loud, finally drawing some looks from the surrounding crowd at whom she grinned toothily, willing them to whisper among themselves.

"I believe that's the first time I've seen you smile, let alone laugh."

Elphaba spun around, all humour draining from her face as she found herself looking at someone she had hoped to never see again.

"You."

"I have a name you know, but you seem to dislike using it." Said the man, cocky smile in place on his lips.

"I chose to forget you, seeing as the last time we met you were of no use to me whatsoever."

His jaw clenched slightly before he replied. "It's Fiyero."

Elphaba ignored him and turned on her heel

Snapping out of his his shock, Fiyero jogged to catch up with her. "Look, I'm sorry about your friend, but there was nothing I could do."

"Nice to know. Now leave me alone."

"Oh, come on. You can't honestly think so little of me?"

"I do." Elphaba rounded on him and stared straight up into the face, daring him to claim otherwise. Fiyero's eyes searched her face as he desperately tried to come up with a reply.

"Fiyero!" A petite blonde scampered up the Fiyero from the crowd carrying two large shopping bags. "Would you be a dear and carry these for me?"

"Of course." Fiyero took them from her and she latched herself onto his arm in appreciation.

Elphaba quirked her eyebrow turned her attention to his companion. "Today's accessory is a little much don't you think?" Referring to the petite blonde symbiotically attached to his arm.

Fiyero lip twitched as he tried not to laugh, the blonde at his arm gasping in indignation. Recovering slightly, the woman cleared her throat and shook out her curls in an effort to regain her composure before asking in a sickly sweet tone that oozed displeasure.

"Fiyero, dearest, who is _this_?"

"Oh, ah, Galinda, _love_." The pet name seemed to be added as an afterthought. "This is Miss Elphaba. I met her in Munchkinland during my service."

Galinda's crystalline eyes lit up in realisation. "Well, I'm so glad to have met you, _Miss _Elphaba. The glamour of the Emerald City must be quite the change from your more, rural roots."

"Indeed." Elphaba deadpanned back. "I've never seen so much needless expense in one place before."

"Keeping up with the times is hardly needless." Galinda chided. "Just look at you! You seem to have gone to quite the effort to blend in to the Emerald City."

Elphaba's eyebrows may as well have disappeared into her hairline.

"Galinda!" Exclaimed Fiyero, his eyes bulging with shock.

"What is it?" Asked Galinda, confused.

Fiyero's explanation was cut off by a snort of laughter from Elphaba. In second she was clutching at her sides as she laughed uproariously, yet again drawing the attention of the Ozmapolitan crowd. Fiyero and Galinda just stood watching her, dumbstruck, until she recovered enough to straighten.

Wiping the tears from her eyes Elphaba grinned up at Fiyero."Yes, she suits you just fine."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"I didn't paint myself this way, I'm naturally green."

"Oh." Galinda's hand flew to her mouth in shock. Stumbling to recover she hurried to cover her blunder. "Well in that case it is quite becoming of you."

Elphaba's lips quirked in blatant amusement while Galinda attempting to maintain her bubbly exterior. Fiyero simply stood there, unwilling to put himself in the firing line.

When neither of them spoke, Galinda cleared her throat slightly. "That was a compliment, so the correct response is the thank me."

Elphaba's grin widened. "Right. Thank you, Miss Galinda."

"You're welcome, Elphie." Smiled Galinda, graciously.

Elphaba frowned. "Elphie?"

"Elphaba is too long and I am determined to be friends and make it up to you after that terrible embarrassment before."

Unsure of how to respond Elphaba blinked down at the blonde before looking to Fiyero for help. Fiyero just smiled and shrugged.

**Admittedly, when I wrote Galinda here I was putting on a Lumpy Space Princess voice in my head. It seriously changes the whole dynamic of her character for the worst, so don't do it.**

**The answer was Guys and Dolls! I saw it earlier this year and it was alright. It had a very slow start but when it got going it was actually thoroughly entertaining and quite a good show. Congratulotions to Thedoctor24601 and guest 2! Extra cookies to you two for being the only ones to know!**

**Next question: Ian Fleming, popular author of the James Bond series, also wrote a children's story that later became a musical starring Dick Van Dyke. What is it?**

**Note: This chapter is unedited due to extreme busy-ness. I ask your forgiveness for any errors :)**

**Reviews are my motivation and make me feel loved :)**


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